1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a textile bobbin containing yarn and a means for fastening a yarn end to the bobbin so that it can be easily released and re-fastened.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Continuous filament yarns are commonly wound on a hollow bobbin or pirn during their manufacture. As winding begins, the initial free end of yarn is wrapped around the bobbin and held in place by subsequent layers of yarn. Upon conclusion of winding, the yarn package is transported on a carrier with other yarn packages. The final free ends of the yarn must be fixed in some way to prevent entanglement during transport. The final free end of each yarn preferably is held in a way in which it can be retrieved easily to facilitate removal of a portion of yarn prior to packing for shipment, for example, for product control testing. Also the outer layers of yarn may have become soiled due to handling; stripping of the outer surface removes the soiled yarn.
A common method for fixing such yarn ends for in-house transporting on a carrier is to manually gather the free ends from all yarn packages and wrap them around a post on the carrier. Obviously this does not allow for stripping of yarn from individual packages without entanglement with other ends. This method also is impractical for use in a mechanized system of yarn package transport and testing.
Consequently, there is a need for an improved means for fixing the free end of yarn on each individual package in such a way that a mechanical device can automatically retrieve and fasten the yarn end.
Prior art methods for holding such yarns include forming a wad of yarn and tucking it inside the hollow core or by inserting the yarn in a notch, slit or tab on the end of the bobbin or merely using a piece of pressure sensitive tape to secure the yarn on the surface of the bobbin. Such approaches are not readily adaptable to automatic methods of yarn removal.